Kinetoscope.



N0. 770,937 PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904. A. E. SMITH.

KINETOSOOPE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 20. 1903. N0 MODEL, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

gig. Z

PATENTED SEPT. 2'7, 1904.

A. E. SMITH KINETOSCOPE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 20, 1903.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

NO MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 2'7, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

ASSIGNOR TO THE VITA- GRAPH COMPANY OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

KINETOSCOPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,937, dated September 27, 1904. Application filed April 20, 1203. Serial No. 153,354. (No model.)

To (all whom, it natty concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Kinetoscopes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to kinetoscopes; and its novelty consists in the construction and mode of operation of sundry parts, as will be more fully hereinafter pointed out.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a central vertical section and partial side elevation of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a section and partial plan view of the gearing and gear-box and a side elevation of the revolving shutters, and Fig. 3 is a front view of the intermittent gearing with the front cover of the gear-box removed.

In Letters Patent of the United States N 0. 673,329, granted to me April 30, 1901, there is shown and described a kinetoscope of the general type and style of my apparatus, and I refer to that patent for a full description of the details and common features of the apparatus.

In the drawings, 1 is the film fed from an upper supply-roll, (not shown,) passing under the upper sprocket-drum 11, above the guide-roll 12, and bending outward and then passing down in front of the guide-roll 13 and thence down to the lower sprocket-drum 11. IVhile taking this course the film 1 passes in front of the light-aperture 2 and is preferably held in proper relation thereto by suitable spring-pressed strips or devices 15, which bear upon the edges of the film where the sprocket-wheels are situated and do not bear upon any portion of its surface displaying the picture. A means which may desirably be employed to hold said plates yieldingly against the film comprises a plate 14, having an aperture 14E" registering with the light-aperture of the machine and provided with coiled springs 14, suitably connected therewith and with said strips 15.

Mounted at one side of the frame of the apparatus is an air-tight case 5, consisting of 1 bottom panels, side and edge panels, and a front cover secured in place by screws or any 5 other suitable means. IVithin this case is arranged the intermittent gearing. It consists, first, of the actuating-wheel 6*, caused ,to rotate by the rotation of the shaft 6 upon which it is mounted and provided with a fixed projeeting pin or roller 6 Mounted on a shaft parallel with the shaft 6 is a disk or wheel 61, provided with four radial slots 62, adapted to engage with the pin or roller 6 and also having peripheral 60 bearing-surfaces between the slots. As the actuating-wheel 6 rotates the movement of the pin 6 turns the disk or wheel 61 onefourth of a revolution while this pin is actually engaged in the radial slot 62. The disk 65 or wheel 61 then remains at rest until the pin comes around again and engages with the next slot 62. A spring 63, provided with a lug or peg 64:, is so arranged as normally to press against the peripheral bearing-surfaces 65 of the wheel or disk during the movement of said wheel or disk and upon the completion of said movement engages the contiguous slot 62. By this most simple and inexpensive means the movement of said wheel or disk is steadied and accidental rotation thereof prevented. As said' disk or wheel is mounted on a shaft 60 the movement of which controls the movement of the film, it will be seen that the operation of the latter is similarly stead- 0 ied. By this means a continuous rotary motion of the wheel 6" imparts an intermittent rotary motion to the wheel 61. The air-tight casing 5 is designed to protect this gearing from accidental injury, dust, and dirt.

The shutters 19 and 29 and their connections form the subject-matter of an application for Letters Patent of the United States, Serial No. 146,274, filed by me March 5, 1903, and consequently they will not be described 9 in this connection further than to call attention to the fact that the shaft 6 is suitably geared, as shown generally at A in Figs. 1 and 6, within the main easing of the apparatus with the shutters and extends outward through the side of said main casing and is provided outside the same with the actuating- Wheel 6, above referred to.

What I claim as new is 1. In a kinetoscope, a gearing comprising a shaft, a continuously-rotatable wheel mounted thereon and provided with a pin, a second shaft, a wheel mounted on said second shaft and provided with radial slots adapted to engage with the pin of the first wheel and a yieldably-supported holding-lug engaging the periphery of said wheel.

2. In a kinetoscope, the combination with a main casing or frame, shutter therein and film-carriers, of a pair of shafts, one of which is geared within the casing with said shutter and the other of which controls the movement of the film, each of said shafts extending from the interior of the main frame outward to the exterior thereof, means located outside said casing for transmitting movement from one shaft to the other and causing the film-controlling shaft to move intermittently, and a supplemental casing attached to the main casing and inclosing said means and the outer ends of said shafts.

3. Means for intermittently actuating the film of a kinetoscope, comprising a continuously-rotated wheel having a projection extending therefrom, a disk having radial slots arranged successively to be engaged by said projection and peripheral bearing-surfaces between said slots, and a spring having a lug to bear upon the periphery of said disk.

4. Means for intermittently actuating the film of a kinetoscope, comprising a continuously-rotated wheel having a projection extending therefrom, a disk having radial slots arranged successively to be engaged by said projection and peripheral bearing-surfaces between said slots, a fiat spring secured at one end and having its other end provided with a lug to engage the periphery of said disk, and a casing for said parts.

5. The combination with the frame of a kinetoscope, of a casing secured to one side of said frame and means for feeding the film intermittently and comprising the following elements located in said casing, namely, a continuously-rotated wheel having a projection, a disk having radial slots arranged to be engaged by said projection and peripheral bearing-surfaces between said slots and a spring having a lug to bear upon the periphery of said disk.

6. In a kinetoscope, means for intermittently actuating the film, comprising a continuously-rotating wheel having a projection, a disk having radial slots successively engaged by said projection and peripheral bearingsurfaces between said slots, and a spring having a lug to engage the periphery of said disk, in combination with means for holding the film in its passage across the light-aperture, comprising continuous bearing-surfaces yieldingly held in contact with the film.

7. In a kinetoscope, the combination with the film-carrier and shutter,of a continuouslyrotating shaft connected with the shutter, a second shaft connected with the film-carrier, and means for transmitting intermittent movement to the latter shaft from the first-mentioned shaft, comprising an actuating-wheel on said first-mentioned shaft, having a projection, a disk on said second shaft, having radial slots and peripheral bearing-surfaces between said slots, and yieldably supported steadying and holding means engaging the periphery of said disk.

8. In a kinetoscope the combination with the main casing or frame, shutter therein and film-carriers, of a pair of shafts, one of which is geared Within the casing with said shutter and the other of which controls the movement of the film, each of said shafts extending from the interior of the main frame outward to the exterior thereof, means located outside said casing for transmitting intermittent movement to the film-controlling shaft from the other shaft, comprising an actuating-wheel having a projection and a disk having radial slots, mounted on the shafts respectively, said. disk having peripheral bearing-surfaces between its slots, steadying and holding means engaging the periphery of said disk, and a supplemental casing attached to the main casing and inclosing the outer ends of said shafts and the parts mounted thereon.

Witness my hand this 16th day of April,

1903, at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York.

ALBERT E. SMITH.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM R. BAIRD, B. J. SMITH. 

